4 out of 5 so-called Brit Neets are 'fit to work but choose to claim benefits'

London, Nov 24 (ANI): A survey has found that four out of five Neets, youngsters in Britain, who are not in education, employment or training, are capable of working but claim benefits instead.

According to the Education Department figures, more than one million school-leavers are not in education, employment or training despite the fact that more than 800,000 of them are capable of holding down a job. staggering 94 percent of male Neets, 420,480, are judged fit to work. For young women the figure is 65 percent.

Academics blame the trend on a 'disenfranchised' generation who would rather collect benefits than work in a menial job.

"Our obsession with equality and extending university education has taken a heavy toll on our youth and destroyed a generation," the Daily Mail quoted Tom Burkard, of the Centre for Policy Studies, as saying.

"Anything but a middle-class job is denigrated. It's getting harder to convince these youngsters there's any reason to work," he stated.

The figures show 1,026,000 Neets in the third quarter of this year - 149,000 more than five years ago, and of these, 802,680 are said to have 'no identifiable barrier' to work.

"The numbers are still too high. We want to give all young people the best opportunities to progress," an Education Department spokesman added. (ANI)